Janine Hirt is the CEO of Innovate Finance (IF), the industry body representing the world-leading UK FinTech sector. Having joined the initial IF leadership team in 2015 first as Head of Community then Ecosystem Director, she moved into the COO role in 2017 before stepping up to lead the organisation in 2021. Janine is passionate about driving transformation to create a more democratic, transparent and inclusive financial services sector for all. Her professional career has been marked by roles that sit at the intersection of policy, international relations, and industry, including senior positions at Chatham House, (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) and the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce. Janine has been selected as one of the top 50 most influential women in UK tech by Computer Weekly for the last three years running and has been included in the Women in Trade Association Powerlist for the past two years. Janine is a regular speaker at international conferences and has been featured in broadcast media and print publications including Sky News, BBC World News, ITN Business, CityAM, Forbes, and the Financial Times.
Janine received her BA Magna Cum Laude from Boston College, JYA at Oxford University, and her MSc from the London School of Economics. Janine is an American, British, Swiss and German national who calls London and NYC home.
Kongresssaal, Level 1
Open
Europe’s monetary architecture is being actively redefined: central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), local currency denominated stablecoins and tokenized deposits have been added to the mix of public and private money in Europe’s digital financial system. This session brings together central banks and industry leaders to assess the emerging landscape of digital currencies in Europe and to confront the key design trade-offs around privacy, interoperability, and distribution. From the role of intermediaries to the risk of fragmentation across competing forms of digital money, the discussion will explore how Europe can balance innovation, sovereignty, and financial stability in its future financial infrastructure.